Page 3 - Top Prospect
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CHAPTER 16
The Gators’ game against Appalachian State didn’t go as
planned. The Mountaineers held a 10-to-9 lead at half-
time. I’d stood on the sideline for a while behind Coach
Goddard. He got angrier and angrier over every mistake
his team made. And by the end of the first half, he was
breathing fire.
“You know why they call it an upset?” raged Coach
G. in the locker room, with the whole team gathered
around him. “Because some glue-factory nag named
Upset beat Man o’ War, the greatest racehorse of all
time. That’s what these guys are, compared to you—
mules. They couldn’t get scholarships to a real football
school. They didn’t have the talent. But they’re beating
you. They want to steal your dreams of a national title.
You’re supposed to be the thoroughbreds here. Perform
like it!”
He slammed a marker against a dry-erase board
and walked off. The assistant coaches for defense, spe-
cial teams, and receivers pulled their players together
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